Wednesday, February 24, 2010

America the Fantasy

As a Boomer I saw and was part of the movement in this country to stop wars, increase tolerance, improve equality and provide assistance to those in need while taking more in taxes from those who use power and lack of ethics to become the richest people in this country. I've been told to Love it or Leave it. And things have gotten worse.First they killed our leaders then they used PR to make left-thinking people look like "Loonies" and to attach us to Manson, not Lennon. Our parents fought a war against Hitler. We knew about war. We actually studied it in school. There were documentaries. Our actions were examined. Now that's patriotism, to ask why we're doing what we're doing and how to improve.

But not the avaricious right wing. They've been there all along, I Me Mine.

Avarice is their common bond. Getting more.

Here's the truth. This country is corrupt and the wingers have been in charge the whole time...with their spin, and their jackboots on our necks. We have less "power" now than we did in 1968. They like war and they like the profits they can squeeze out of us while squealing about the flag and freedom they've already taken from us. THEY are the enemy. They have always been the enemy.

I'm no Naderite but one thing he said that has always been true is that there's not much difference between the two parties. They serve the money gods, not the people. With a few exceptions most Democrats look like Republicans to me.

The minute we boomers started to face sixty most of us realized it was all about survival and that our "movement" was truly dead and buried under the weight of corporate greed. Day to day finances are more time consuming than reading the latest compromise on Capital Capitol Hill.

In this "land of the free" we're supposed to have religious freedom but we still have fundamentalism crammed down our throats. To not follow a religion, religiously, is seen as a character flaw. If half those people who flock to huge mega-TV churches actually lived by do unto others the world would be a much better place.

We had it right; the humane ideas. Baby Boomers, we've been made null and void for a very long time. We were naive and believed love was the solution. Now a Blackberry commercial has ruined twisted and distorted "love", of which they know nothing, as merely a slogan to sell cell phones. all you need is love is a tool to them. But not for me. I remember.

Health care....it'll kill us. Financially we are at the mercy of corporate America.

Real Love....something our leaders don't recognize.

Generation Jones was a letdown. They didn't get it. Generation X?High tech non-thinkers.

Hey, Binky! Nice to see you. Yup, they're just going to wear us down, wipe us out with medical bills before we die and ultimately stop the "movement". Peace and equality were never on the right wing agenda. Now they just want all of us who remember to die off. Apart from feeling the pinch financially I'm okay. These days health is more important than everything else, and paying for it isn't cheap. I hope things are going fine for you.Maybe I've gotten too pessimistic but I don't think so. I think we're on our own and always have been.

Thanks, AD. Excellent addition. It gives me goosebumps. We all knew which way the wind was blowing. They never let us take over and give anything decent a chance to take hold. The powers of evil and darkness remained stronger than ever. Dick Cheney alone is proof that they "won" the battle. Smartest move they made was to privatize the military and not institute a draft, they kept their wars more "private" that way and there were fewer people who knew what was happening, fewer body bags, less to protest.

Pete (formerly 'Binky') here again. Thanks for asking, I'm doing not-great but OK. I shouldn't complain, really. At least I have a job w/ health insurance, though as you suggest, as with so many people, my coverage has been cut significantly in recent years and is extremely likely to be cut further -- especially given the provision of the current "HCR" program that will put punitive taxes on decent plans, for the sake of cutting costs without endangering those ever-climbing corporate profits for the insurance industry. And this, IMO, is just one aspect of the current 'bipartisan' push to lessen the standard-of-living for the majority of Americans, so that the greed of the super-rich can be serviced, under our utterly corrupt bribery-based system of government. Like I say, just my opinion...

As you might recall, I strongly supported Obama in the latter part of the 2008 campaign, with some lingering doubts as to what kind of president he might make, but because I thought his background suggested that he was really the most potentially progressive of the short-list corporate-approved choices that we Democrats had. Sadly, I still think he WAS the best choice, and that now shows just how far we've sunk. Leave it to say, I now think it just isn't possible in these times for a US president to be anything but a puppet of the corporations and their lobbies, including, prominently, the war lobbies.

In any case, I'm not feeling inclined at this point to be a "loyal" Democrat who supports policies he opposed under Republicans, just because the politicians in power have 'D's after their names and pitch some empty feel-good peace-and-freedom rhetoric. And then (for a very recent instance) pass a total renewal of the 'Patriotic Act' clandestinely, with the corporate media cooperatively declining to give the matter proper coverage.

Well, I've been wrong before enough times and will likely be wrong again, but I will make this claim: I've been predicting something like the 'Tea Party' movement was going to happen for a few years now; and I'll further predict (it doesn't take Nostradamus) that that movement is going to develop into something far more prominent and dangerous, as desperate mainstream Americans who are losing the prosperity they see as their birthright look for wingnut solutions, because that's all they know to look for, given the Reaganite media propaganda they've been fed constantly for the last 30 years.

Enjoyed seeing your Beatles videos, though...

As for the generations following us, may the kids somehow come up with something that blows our old disappointments and pessimism away. I'll believe it when I see it.

I do remember and I was on the same page as you at that time. I was for Edwards for a while as he appeared to be the best for labor. Boy did HE fuck up. They leave us looking like fools while they take care of themselves as usual. Hell, they never would have allowed Obama anywhere near the White House if he wasn't already manageable and predictable. Puppets indeed. All that bipartisan "reaching across the aisle" bullshit he yammered on about made me ill. To the GOP that means they ride roughshod over any Democrat who weakly protests their thievery. We need a bunch of Graysons. He cares about US. And Kennedy's seat went to another philandering GOPer. Sigh. IOKIYAR. Same old shit. Yup, I have two twenty-somethings and although their beliefs are much like mine I can't really envision them hitting the streets the way we did. They're on their cell phones, laptops, not as involved, they had to register for the military at eighteen but there was no draft...no fear for them like Vietnam. Both talk of moving to farms and lovely idyllic scenarios, there are NO jobs in CA. The last generation to benefit from the "American Dream" are the WWII folks, the so-called "Greatest Generation". (Brokaw's an idiot.)

I share your opinion:And this, IMO, is just one aspect of the current 'bipartisan' push to lessen the standard-of-living for the majority of Americans, so that the greed of the super-rich can be serviced, under our utterly corrupt bribery-based system of government. Like I say, just my opinion... and completely agree on your Tea Bagger take. At this stage, taking care of ourselves in our remaining years without falling into poverty is becoming my top priority. As Republicans cut "entitlement" programs and pick our pockets yet again we're definitely on our own.Looks like Mitt Romney is running for 2012. What do you think of his chances? The right hates Obama and he let the left down right out of the chute. Our standards have indeed dropped into oblivion.

I feel no loyalty any more. I'll still vote for the lesser of two evils but there's absolutely no joy in it for me, no hope for real change, real progressivism. Obama should have had Dean running the HCR initiative...Obama should have done a lot of things by now...but I don't think he will. Apparently we need 100 Democratic senators to pass anything. Obama's "job" is to fill up the treasury for GOPers to rob it again. And repeat. Wall Street always wins. Greed is good.

I hope you're truly okay..."not great" isn't good. Thankfully you have health insurance but as you say the deductibles etc. have skyrocketed. Yes, you SHOULD complain. Feel free here any time. I'm on the "Hope-it-goes-away" medical plan. I just don't go to the doctor at all. Copays are too high. Survival is all I'm asking now. And less insomnia.

You should heck out Dick Cavette's interviews with Lennon and Harrison on Youtube. They're excellent and have held up over the years...crystal clear thinking. So Lennon had to go. Couldn't have that kind of logic running around loose. I guess I'm just as pessimistic as I was during Bush's reign. There's no satisfaction in having been right about where we were headed, is there?

Mitt Romney? God, I dunno. I think it'll be someone even worse, really.

Hey Panda, I apologize for being such a jerk and saying some of the stupid stuff I said on LA when we we're arguing back in '08. Thanks for being so nice despite that. The very best to you and your family.

I never thought you were a jerk. Nope, always respected your positions. I saw both sides and you were poked a few times with sharp sticks. Heh heh. We had lots of fun there, some fabulous music threads. I LOVED the music threads. I haven't been posting anywhere lately, I'm sick of being lied to by slimy politicians day in and day out and "accepting" only two "liberal" news shows on TV, Olbermann and Maddow,while there are endless hours of Joe Scarborough and other winger pricks spewing shit, blah blah blah. Romney sure sounds like he's running. New book, on Letterman last night all cheery and "nice". Making jokes about his own hair. Awwwwww, how cute, let's elect him. Yay, he's not ugly. Palin should have no trouble raising loads of dough to run. This country no longer deserves a decent president. Too many willfully ignorant assholes live here. Truly unenlightened oafs. America is all about the money. Too bad we get dragged down with them.